What is at stake in the Colombian Presidential Election?

In an interview for BBC World Service, Dr Annette Idler outlines the possible consequences of Colombia's first presidential election since 2016 for the country's peace deal.

Dr Idler, who is Director of Studies of the Changing Character of War programme, was talking as Colombian voters went to the polls in the first round of the presidential election. As Dr Idler explains, the outcome has implications for general security and stability, but more specifically for the fragile peace deal agreed between FARC rebels and the outgoing President, Juan Manuel Santos. It is a campaign which has polarised the vote in Colombia. Indeed none of the three candidates, Ivan Duque, Gustavo Petro and Sergio Fajardo, secured the required majority in the first round to claim victory, so a run-off between the two with the greatest numbers of votes, the Conservative Ivan Duque and the leftist Gustavo Petro, will take place on 17 June.

You can listen to all of Dr Idler's interview on BBC World Service radio's News Hour (31:50-35:07)

Dr Annette Idler is Senior Research Fellow at the Department of Politics and International Relations and at Pembroke College; Director of Studies, Changing Character of War Programme